Comments (3)

By Kerri Provost, December 17, 2009 5:25 pm

People of Connecticut: What have u done 2 this country? We hold u responsible. Start recall of Lieberman 2day or we’ll boycott your state.

One man stands in the way of universal health care. He’s your man, CT. We can’t control him. U can. What r u waiting for? Boycott coming.

Yo Michael Moore,

Ima let you finish, but boycotting Connecticut is cold. It’s also about as counterproductive and impossible as the ill-conceived boycotts of Israel. Maybe you mean that you’re just going to not visit Connecticut, but if you are going to really boycott, then you’d better be prepared for all that this entails. Here’s a preview:

This means you can not purchase anything from Aetna, Anthem, CIGNA, UnitedHealth, Phoenix, The Hartford, or St. Paul Travelers. No ING either.

Do not visit or give any money to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center –  ill children in Connecticut would benefit, and we know that they had a lot to do with Lieberman getting elected and reelected. They should suffer so that you can make your point.

ESPN is a major employer in Connecticut, so make sure you do not watch that station. If you were planning to drop by Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods, drop them from your itinerary. You can also remove Mystic Seaport, Mystic Aquarium, and Mystic Pizza from your list of places to go. The Nathan Hale Homestead? Forget it. Want to see where Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Noah Webster lived? Nevermind. No Essex Steam Train, Goodspeed Opera House, Bushnell, Gillette Castle, Real Art Ways, Wolfpack games, TheaterWorks, Wadsworth Atheneum, Yale Center for British Art, IKEA (they employ residents), Beardsley Zoo, or Hill-Stead Museum. No CT Science Center. No Dinosaur State Park or Yale Peabody Museum.

Forget about stopping off at Lyman Orchards, or any of the other orchards in Connecticut. No lunch at Shady Glen or Louis’ Lunch. No Newman’s Own products.

You may not go watch a movie at the Mansfield Drive-in. While you’re being hardcore about this, refrain from purchasing movie tickets or dvds of films with Connecticut residents — past or present — starring, producing, or involved in any way. No more Katharine Hepburn and Paul Newman films. Prisoners and The Witches of Oz are currently being filmed in CT. You will not get to see those. Since this is retroactive, if any of these films are on your to-see list, just forget they were made.

Skip the Barnum Museum, XL Center, Lake Compounce, and Quassy Amusement Park. I hope you didn’t want to see the two-headed cow on display at the Old State House. That’s off limits too!

Don’t donate any money to the CT Humane Society. Sweet puppies and kitties should definitely suffer because of Lieberman.

No Book Barn or Atticus.

I hope you are not a fan of Wiffle Ball or Frisbee, because those are on the “no” list. Anesthesia was first used in my state, so if you have to undergo a serious medical procedure, you’ll have to be brave and wide awake for it. Also invented in Connecticut? Sewing machine, can opener, and hamburger. I sense you’ll have difficulty boycotting all three of those items. Do you like to vacuum your house? Sorry. Broom and dustpan from now on. Like color television? That’s also a Connecticut first.

Do not speak at or give any money to a single college or university in the state, no matter how much the students might benefit from your sage advice. Do not go to any UConn games either.

I’m sorry. Am I giving you a headache? Depressing you? Don’t try to treat your aches with anything from Pfizer.

You will have to bypass Bradley International Airport, even if you’re heading to Massachusetts. If choosing air travel, ensure you are not going to fly in a jet that uses parts made at Pratt & Whitney. Also, no rides in helicopters, as the first one was invented in Connecticut.

I’m happy for you, Mr. Moore, because you’ve made a successful career out of activism and entertainment; but to hold an entire state’s population responsible for one man is bogus. Lieberman lost in the last primary and has fallen out of favor with many who originally voted for him. Local religious figures have  spoken against his stance on health care. Maybe you did not know this, but Connecticut does not have the ability to recall politicians. Of course, since government is a human construction, humans can change it, but to suggest that Connecticut residents are responsible for removing a man when we have no current power to do so, well, I think that assumes we all have as much time on our hands as you do. Many of us, like myself, work more than one job and still do not have health care. I have never voted for Lieberman. Your tactic to push for health care has the potential to harm exactly those who need it. We need health care, but we also need our jobs! We have mortgages and rent to pay. We have groceries to buy. Lieberman is a problem, yes, but solving that problem should not involve harming thousands of Connecticut residents.

Comments (0)

By Kerri Provost, August 28, 2009 9:44 am

This sign was found on a few sidewalks near the CCAG office. On September 2nd there will be a health care reform rally at John Larson’s office (221 Main Street), followed by a march to Senator Dodd’s office. outside the West Hartford Town Hall. This begins at 4:30pm and should last roughly two hours.

Comments (3)

By Kerri Provost, July 21, 2009 9:12 am

It’s been reported that the Guardian Angels had been contacted after a series of murders; on Sunday, a group of the Guardian Angels walked the Garden Street area. This “patrol” was designed to assess the situation. The Hartford Courant reports that Guardian Angels will begin weekly patrols, and that the group’s founder wants there to be a Hartford chapter; an earlier attempt to do just that failed in the 80s. For those who do not remember, there was controversy about the group then. Recent news about the GA’s visit to Hartford reference controversy, without really spelling out what the issues are.

According to their own website, they have won presidential praise, are global, and are a way for people to do community service.

In the recent Courant article, someone questioning the group was described as a thug:

“That’s for show,” said one bystander, a young man with a mouthful of gold-capped teeth and dressed in a matching yellow shirt that read “Born Killers.” “They can’t stop nothing. We’re out there every day. When they leave, there’s gonna be a shooting.” The man would not give his name.

His comments — which might have been construed differently had he been described as an elderly man or a shop owner — only echo a critique of the Guardian Angels that has been made elsewhere. In a discussion about the GA’s presence in New Bedford, one person commented:

They came to Brockton, and are hardly seen… ** ONLY ** when a news camera is around, they come out!

Continue reading 'Whose Guardians?'»

Comments (2)

By Kerri Provost, June 29, 2009 10:52 am

Thanks to punkpink is a bandits tip and Queers Without Borders for sharing this video clip. “How to Tell People They Sound Racist” is the basic formula one can follow for telling someone s/he sounds sexist or heterosexist or whatever. For more about how and why the rainbow flag at City Hall was removed before its time, check out the previous blog links.

Comments (1)

By Kerri Provost, April 22, 2009 9:43 pm

Last Saturday, Trinity students and community volunteers removed trash from the Flatbush Avenue/Brookfield Street area. To give you an idea of how neglected this area was, there were 8-tracks and pull-tab soda cans found, along with a purse containing an ID that expired in 2001.

If you missed the chance to help beautify Hartford, you have three more upcoming opportunities on April 25th, May 2nd, and May 9th. For more details contact the Knox Parks Foundation.

Comments (0)

By Kerri Provost, March 17, 2009 7:35 am

The “We’re Super Catholic and should not have to provide flower arrangements for The Homosexuals” thing amuses me. Yes, friends, there are times when hate and discrimination are hysterical.

The economy is so strong that people can choose to not take money from those they do not approve of? Really?

Mark this occasion as the one time I ask for capitalism to be allowed to run its course without government intervention.

Comments (0)

By Kerri Provost, January 13, 2009 8:36 pm

This evening hundreds of universal health care supporters turned out at Union Station to listen to details regarding the release of SustiNet. They were expecting around 500. I would guess far more than that showed up.

All seats were taken, people were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, and people even climbed up the staircases to find a place to see the speakers. There was even a video screen set up for those unlucky enough to be in the back of the diverse crowd.

Continue reading 'Rally for New Health Care Plan'»

Comments (0)

By Kerri Provost,

The Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut released their public policy proposal, called SustiNet, today.

The goals of the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut are:

• Guarantee all Connecticut residents access to their choice of high quality health coverage and health care.
• Control costs so that health care is affordable and sustainable for individuals, families, businesses, and taxpayers.
• End residents’ worries about losing access to care when they change jobs, finish school, start a business, experience other life-changing events or have pre-existing conditions.
• Prevent illness and disease where possible and improve health.
• Eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care and health outcomes

The city of Hartford has 34,000 uninsured residents. With a population of about 125,000, this means that around 27-28% of Hartford residents are uninsured. In July of 2008, Where We Live spoke with Mayor Perez about the city task force created to help provide health insurance for those who are uninsured, but who make too much money to qualify for assistance (welfare). This task force has been, among other things, looking at partnering with corporations/private sector. As said in the discussion, someone with an income of $30,000/year can not afford existing options like the Charter Oak Health Plan. Part of the task force’s purpose is to promote healthy lifestyles/prevention.

The SustiNet policy, however, would merge:

state employees and retirees with HUSKY and SAGA participants into a self-insured pool. Three other groups can enter the pool:
• people without access to employer sponsored insurance, including sole proprietors and other self employed individuals;
• people offered employer sponsored insurance that does not provide affordable access to essential care; and
• and employers, starting with small businesses, nonprofits and municipalities, but ultimately including any employer in the state.

HUSKY and SAGA are health care-related forms of welfare.

SustiNet would include home medical services, mental health care, and dental care. Medical home services are broken into three categories: care coordination (non-medical referrals and reminders about immunizations etc.), patient empowerment (encouraging people to quit smoking, improve diets, etc.), and timely access to care (goal is to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits). People with pre-existing conditions would not be turned away, which makes sense since they are among the most vulnerable and in the most need of medical treatment. They are proposing that co-pays and premiums be based on income. For those whose employers do not offer any insurance, they could be self-insured regardless of pre-existing conditions. Those who have inadequate coverage could also switch to a self-insurance plan. What makes something inadequate? “Coverage is also deemed inadequate, regardless of income, if out-of-pocket health care costs are at least 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income.” Continue reading 'SustiNet: Health Care for Everyone'»

Comments (3)

By Kerri Provost, January 9, 2009 5:11 pm

Richard, who I do not believe I have ever actually met, is the subject of my ongoing platonic lovefest. He recently started a new blog and one post in particular made me want to send him flowers and teddy bears.

On Punkpink is a Bandit’s Tip, he writes about inconsiderate leftist activists:

I would like to suggest that the sponsors, their allies all come out one day this week. It will be called ”Let’s call it clean up our mess day.” On that day they will go around to all the poles, boxes, buildings and other places that they have dumped their non read litter and clean it up. If they don’t I want to tell them get out of these neighborhoods. We have enough problems here just being, just living. Do not come around here if all you are going to do is plaster the place with leaflets, march through our streets yelling and screaming.

In the past, I have written about ill-mannered folks who come into a place to protest something (usually a war) and don’t show any respect for those living here. They come in, yell, and leave. Sometimes they will complain about a perceived lack of parking, which I think is a sign that they did not do their homework. Other times, they litter the area with signs, leaflets, coffee cups, etc. It’s infuriating to hear the chant of “whose streets? our streets!” coming from people who can make no such claims. I mean, they have not even looked up directions to see how to find the jail in relation to where the protest spot is, which, you know, is kind of mandatory when going to protest. I believe in the right to protest, and I believe it is a civil duty right up there with voting, but I think people should be more mindful about how they protest.

Richard writes about leaflets that remain taped and/or wheatpasted around the city. When I saw these signs go up, I sighed, knowing that they would not be removed in a timely fashion. Newsflash: litter, inconveniencing the working class, and being a general nuisance is not going to stop the war in Iraq, and it’s not going to ally you with “the people.”

Comments (0)

By Kerri Provost, January 8, 2009 11:32 am

While some Americans are holding on to hope that soon-President Obama will lavish us all with presents like health care, others are taking action. Healthcare4every1 will be rallying outside of Union Station from 5:30-7pm this Tuesday (1/13/09). Their website announces:

The healthcare4every1 Campaign will unveil a road map to health care that all of Connecticut’s residents can count on. The approach, developed over the past two years with input from key stakeholders and the support of the nation’s leading health care researchers, offers the state a historic opportunity to be on the cutting edge of state and national reform.

See their website for more details and to learn where to park for free. This campaign has been endorsed by dozens of groups/organizations including labor unions, the Working Families Party, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association of Connecticut, Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition, Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, Love Makes a Family, and the Hispanic Health Council.